HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

“There are only three people…” Hermione bit her lip, her fingers tapping the table unconsciously. “Durmstrang is almost twice as many as us.”

“At least we weren’t all wiped out,” Ron muttered, stabbing at a piece of pie with his fork. “Percy’s win was pretty close, if it weren’t for that last shot…”

“He took advantage of the environment,” Harry said softly. “Professor Greengrass taught us that duels are not just a contest of spells, but also involve the use of the space.”

Fred and George, unusually, didn't joke around, but simply exchanged a glance. George sighed, "Looks like we'll have to rely on Cedric and Oris for tomorrow's game too."

Percy sat at the Gryffindor table, his back ramrod straight, the prefect's badge gleaming faintly in the candlelight.

His expression remained serious, and when someone occasionally congratulated him, he would only nod briefly.

Meanwhile, at the Ravenclaw table, Oris Alker was surrounded by a group of classmates.

The seventh-grader remained calm, occasionally answering a few questions, but mostly just quietly eating his dinner.

Cedric Diggory, on the other hand, appeared much more composed.

The Hufflepuff students surrounded him enthusiastically, chattering about his victory.

He smiled and responded to everyone, his fingers occasionally turning the pages of the thick book "The True Story of Medieval Spell Changes" on his lap.

This is a classic book from the restricted book section. The spine of the book is slightly yellowed, and the whole book is marked by the passage of time.

Last year, during Professor Greengrass's theory class, he was not allowed to ask questions as an auditor. He was a little embarrassed at the time, but to his surprise, Professor Greengrass recommended this book to him after class that same day.

He still remembered that day when the professor handed him the approved borrowing slip, a hint of approval flashing in his gray eyes—at least he thought it was approval.

This was Cedric's first encounter with the books in the forbidden section. Their yellowed pages not only recorded the evolution of various spells but also concealed many dangerous magics.

While researching in the library, Cedric saw Professor Greengrass sitting there looking through a book.

When he mustered up the courage to ask the professor for advice, he discovered that the professor, who seemed somewhat strict in class, was not so unapproachable in private.

Professor Greengrass not only gave him detailed explanations, but even picked up the book and wrote many annotations for him.

This is also why he hasn't returned the book yet—if Mrs. Pince were to discover the annotations in the book, she would surely grab a feather duster and accuse him of "blasphemy."

Time quickly passed to the next day.

The atmosphere inside the dueling arena was even more intense than yesterday, with the stands filled with eagerly awaiting students.

Percy Weasley was the first to go, but this time, his luck was clearly not so good—he drew Fleur Delacour.

The girl from Beauxbatons walked slowly onto the ring, her long, silver-grey hair shimmering in the sunlight like flowing moonlight.

She was beautiful, with a graceful figure, and every gesture she made exuded an almost captivating elegance.

Of course, if anyone sees her as merely a pretty face because of this, they will pay a heavy price—Bafferos is a prime example.

Fleur has one-quarter Veela blood, which endows her with magical talents far exceeding those of ordinary people.

Despite being only in fifth grade, she had already earned Beauxbatons' Trinity Ribbon, the school's highest honor for outstanding students, making her a truly deserving top student at Beauxbatons.

As the stone tablet sank into the ground with a loud crash, Percy quickly waved his wand, attempting to gain the upper hand with an "Obstacles" spell.

But Fleur reacted even faster. She deftly sidestepped Percy's spell light, and with a flick of her wrist, a blinding red light shot out from the tip of her wand.

"He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

The spell struck like lightning. Percy hastily raised his armor spell to defend himself, but Fleur's magic was clearly more powerful, and the barrier shattered after only a second.

The impact sent Percy staggering back several steps. Before he could regain his footing, Fleur's second spell was already upon him—

"Except your weapons!"

Percy rolled away, barely dodging the swift spell, and then, without even looking, fired a faith shot.

The light of the petrification spell grazed Fleur's cheek, but she didn't even blink. Instead, she directly unleashed three silent spells at Percy.

First, a "flat slide" hit the ground beneath Percy's feet, then two ropes appeared out of nowhere and bound Percy tightly, and finally, a blazing fireball struck Percy hard in the chest.

A flash of white light, and Percy was defeated.

The entire auditorium fell silent for a second, then erupted in enthusiastic applause and gasps of amazement.

The game ended faster than anyone expected.

Fleur Delacour defeated her opponent with just five spells. She raised her chin slightly, a confident smile curving her lips, and gave an elegant bow to the judges' table.

In the stands, Cedric gently closed the book in his hand, his slender fingers stroking the spine, his gaze thoughtfully following Fleur's departing figure, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Very strong! Only in fifth grade?" he muttered to himself.

This girl from Beauxbatons possesses magical power almost comparable to that of an adult wizard. What's even more surprising is her dueling prowess—her spells flow smoothly and her timing is impeccable, unlike what one would expect from a student.

Cedric recalled the rumors that the other party possessed Veela blood, and couldn't help but think of Professor Nikia, who also had Veela blood.

Their identical long silver hair and elegant demeanor made him wonder if they were related.

Or perhaps... that powerful Potions professor privately mentored her?

Cedric shook his head, setting aside these chaotic speculations for the time being.

He turned his gaze to the center of the arena, where Victor Krum and Oris Alker had begun selecting a scene.

Like Fleur, Krum is also a fifth-year student, but his strength should not be underestimated.

Although he was only in fifth grade, he had already shown the potential of a top duelist. Every detail, from the angle of his wand to his standing posture, was textbook perfect.

What is most impressive is the explosive power he unleashes when casting spells; each spell is precise, decisive, and incredibly powerful.

As a fellow Seeker, Cedric knew very well that Krum not only possessed excellent agility, but his robust physique and calm personality were also the icing on the cake.

In comparison, Alk appears somewhat weak.

This seventh-year Ravenclaw senior was an academic genius—Cedric recalled that his transfiguration paper was published in Transfiguration Today.

But his slender frame and somewhat clumsy dodging movements revealed one fact: he was a typical scholar-type wizard.

Chapter 139 A Single Heir

As the stone tablet fell, the space in the center of the arena suddenly distorted, and the duel scene was randomly selected as the "Ancient Magic Library".

Towering bookshelves rise from the ground, with ancient books suspended in mid-air.

Alk's eyes lit up.

This scenario is clearly more advantageous to him.

As soon as the duel began, he quickly retreated. At the same time, he tapped his wand lightly, and a thick ancient book automatically flew to his front, its pages rustling.

As he chanted softly, the yellowed pages of the book fell off one by one, transforming into dozens of gleaming flying blades under the effect of the Transfiguration spell, whistling as they attacked Krum.

Opposite him, Krum's wand had already circled in the air, and a flame appeared out of thin air.

"Flames are raging!"

A blazing wave of fire swept out, instantly burning the chaotic paper blades to ashes.

But Alk had anticipated this, and a triumphant smile appeared on his lips.

"He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

A blinding red light shot out from the flames with astonishing speed. Gasps of surprise rose and fell from the audience.

But Krum reacted even faster, dodging the swift spell with a simple sidestep.

Moreover, his counterattack came incredibly fast. He barely chanted a spell; he simply slashed his wand down like a sword, and a silver cutting spell shot out from the tip of the wand instantly.

Alk was not so agile; he could only barely raise the Ironclad Spell. The semi-transparent barrier trembled violently under the impact, and he was eventually forced to take several steps back.

Krum's offensive continued relentlessly. Before the aftershocks of the Cutting Curse had subsided, the red glow of the Disarming Curse followed.

But Alc had already quickly adjusted his posture. He swung his wand horizontally, and the tall bookshelf immediately shifted, blocking the incoming spell light.

At the same time, he did not stop what he was doing, but waved his wand continuously, blocking the bookshelves between the two of them, and then pointed the wand to the side.

A mahogany desk was instantly twisted and deformed by a transformation spell, turning into a giant silver-gray wolf in the blink of an eye. The wolf howled to the sky, its gleaming white fangs flashing coldly in the sunlight.

A gasp of surprise erupted from the stands; this was a skill that ordinary students couldn't master.

But Krum's offensive came like a storm, revealing the Seeker's amazing physical advantage.

He directly dug three feet into the bookshelf blocking the two of them, and the bookshelf was shattered by the huge impact, with wood chips flying everywhere.

In just a few seconds, his agile figure broke through the encirclement and rushed directly towards Alk.

However, Alk did not give up. The giant wolf roared and pounced on Krum, while Alk himself continued to cast spells from various angles.

However, Krum had already cast an acceleration spell on himself, making him quite agile. He would nimbly sidestep and roll left and right, each movement clean and efficient, instantly neutralizing all the incoming spells.

As the giant wolf pounced from mid-air, Krum raised his hand and delivered a "Splitter" attack.

The dazzling spell light struck the giant wolf's chest, blasting it back to its original form, with the wooden table fragments flying everywhere.

"Immediately imprison them!"

Several ropes cleverly seized the opportunity and shot down from the air, but Krum didn't stop and directly unleashed a "Thunder Explosion" in front of him.

Boom!

Amidst a deafening explosion, the three bookshelves were instantly reduced to dust. Book pages flew through the air, and the two ropes were nowhere to be found.

Krum emerged from the swirling dust and unleashed a series of spells at Alk. Alk hastily retreated, only able to raise his Ironclad Charm to defend himself, but Krum's spells continued to strike, and his Ironclad Charm quickly began to crumble.

Under the continuous bombardment of beams of red light, Arc's armor charm shattered suddenly, and he was then struck by a disarming charm, causing his wand to slip from his hand.

The outcome is decided.

A moment of silence fell over the entire hall, followed by thunderous applause.

Krum put away his wand and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Alk rubbed his wrist and gave a wry smile: "It seems... I still lack practical experience."

"Your magic is powerful, and your timing is perfect..." Krum rarely spoke up to comment. "If it were a team duel, you would be a very difficult opponent."

Alc smiled, took the wand offered by the other party, and nodded in defeat.

In the stands, Karkaroff wore an undisguised smug smile as he turned to Dumbledore and Mrs. Maxim, his voice booming, "Look! My lads are in good shape, aren't they?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward Krum in the ring.

Mrs. Maxim maintained her elegant demeanor and nodded slightly: "The strength of your students is indeed impressive... However, Principal Karkarov, the competition is not over yet."